


you make me feel like nothing's missing

by neoragodestiny



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, Single Parent AU, Sunshines 4Ever: A SeokSoon Fic Fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 14:58:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13126080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neoragodestiny/pseuds/neoragodestiny
Summary: au. Seokmin needs a place to stay for a couple of weeks, and Soonyoung offers his place without a second thought. That’s what friends do, right? But there’s a few complications to the situation: 1) Soonyoung is a single father of an excitable seven-year-old who adores Seokmin and 2) old college crushes might not be as buried as they think they are.





	you make me feel like nothing's missing

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: for the soonseok fic fest round 2, Sunshines 4Ever <3 Merry Christmas and happy soonseok day everyone <3  
> Slightly modified from a prompt from tumblr: “you’ve been sleeping at mine because your house is being renovated and we aren’t even dating, yet every time you wake up to the baby crying and sigh, “i’ll go” i feel like we might as well be married”  
> Title from a song I didn’t note down :/

Soonyoung nearly trips on his laces that are flapping around his ankles, sneakers slapping on the pavement as he swings around the gate entry, but he really doesn’t care about that.

Annie is going to hate him forever, and she won’t talk to him ever again and before he knows it, she’ll be old enough to move out and Soonyoung will never speak to his daughter beyond the age of seven, all because he was late to pick her up from school for the third time this week.

“Annie!” Soonyoung cries out, heart in his throat as he runs to his daughter, sitting peacefully on a bench by the playground, her legs swinging back and forth off the ground, her bag on her left, and a dark haired young man on her right.

The seven-year-old looks up at him, but instead of the scowl and crossed arms and pout Soonyoung expects, she just just puts a finger to her lip.

“Annie, what are you doing?” Soonyoung slows to a stop and tries desperately to catch his breath while seeming Totally Calm.

“Sitting with Teacher Lee,” Annie replies simply, looking up at him innocently. She doesn’t even seem to mind that he’s late. Is he not as late as he realises?

Soonyoung checks his watch. Nope, he’s definitely late, but more importantly - “Teacher Lee? He’s not Uncle Seokmin anymore?”

“At school I have to call him Teacher Lee,” Annie chirps, though she’s jumping off the bench and putting her backpack straps over her shoulders. 

“Oh, right, I forgot,” Soonyoung says as he helps her so that the straps aren’t twisted. He looks at the young man whose head is rolled forward in sleep. “Why is he out here? Is he on duty?”

“Yeah,” says Annie, “but he fell asleep after most of the kids left so I decided to sit with him while waiting, to make sure he doesn’t fall off the bench,”

Soonyoung smiles at his daughter. “You were looking out for Uncle Seokmin. I’m so proud of you, baby,” he kisses her cheek and she giggles.

“Should we wake him up?” Soonyoung asks. Annie shakes her head and Soonyoung wants to agree with her, but really, Seokmin can’t be sleeping when he’s on after school duty.

“Seokmin, hey, Seokmin,” Soonyoung murmurs as he shakes his friend awake.

Seokmin jerks awake, looking around almost frantically before his eyes land on Soonyoung standing in front of him, Annie by his side, her small hand curled in her father’s pant leg.

“Hyung, oh, hi,” Seokmin mumbles, scrubbing at his eyes, getting to his feet. “I uh,” he glances around him, as if registering where he is: the school playground.

“Seokmin, is everything okay? You fell asleep on duty,” Soonyoung raises an eyebrow.

“I did?” Seokmin looks around. Annie is the last one left. “Oh boy, I‘m sorry, Annie,” he says.

“I made sure you didn’t fall off the bench, Teacher Lee!” she says brightly. Soonyoung smiles at her as Seokmin grins and crouches down to her level.

“Thanks, sweetie. It’s after school now, so you can call me Uncle now if you want,” he says as he ruffles her hair. She whines and tries to fix the slightly lopsided pigtails Soonyoung had put on her that morning.

“Really though, Seokmin,” Soonyoung says, “Is everything okay? For you to be falling asleep at school, something must be happening,”

“Oh, it’s not a big deal, hyung,” Seokmin says, rising to stand properly. “The road outside my apartment block is doing work, but since it’s a major road, they close it at night to do it, but the noise has been waking me up lately.”

“Night work?” Soonyoung says. Seokmin nods, rubbing at his eyes. 

“They should finish in the next couple of weeks, but who knows if they’ll finish as scheduled,” Seokmin yawns.

“Hasn’t everyone complained? Like, the lady downstairs,” Soonyoung recalls the lovely, but sensitive, lady below Seokmin who seemed to be able to hear every speck of sound in the whole building.

Seokmin shrugs. “Some have, but they can’t do much. Most of them have gone to stay with a friend or relative, or just straight out gone to a hotel for a while,”

Soonyoung blinks. “So why haven’t you?”

Seokmin looks at him blearily. “I can’t afford to stay at a hotel for two weeks, hyung, do you know how much that costs?”

“No, I mean,” Soonyoung flaps his hands pointlessly, “stay with someone,” he says, following it up, not even a beat later, with, “Why don’t you stay with us?”

The words are out before Soonyoung can even think it through. Seokmin’s eyes widen, but before either of them can register the weight of Soonyoung’s words, Annie is chirping in. “Yeah! Stay with us, Uncle Seokmin! Then we can bake cookies everyday!”

“Baby, we can’t bake cookies everyday,” Soonyoung sighs heavily. Seokmin looks bashful, totally guilty of letting Soonyoung’s daughter bake cookies every single time she came over to his apartment, and every time he came over to Soonyoung’s apartment.

“Why not, Dad?” Annie whines, tugging on Soonyoung’s pant leg.

“Really though, hyung, it’s fine,” Seokmin says instead. 

“Seokmin, you fell asleep on after school duty, I don’t think it’s fine,” Soonyoung deadpans. Seokmin falls silent, unable to argue. Soonyoung sighs. “Look, it’s only for a couple of weeks, and even if it’s only the couch or a mattress on the floor, I’m sure it’s better than not being able to sleep due to night road works,”

“He can sleep in my bed!” Annie says. Soonyoung gestures at her, as if Seokmin would be convinced by the fact that the seven-year-old had a solution.

It works, somehow.

“Okay, but only if Annie and I can bake cookies on the weekend,” Seokmin grins. Soonyoung rolls his eyes and sighs. Annie cheers loudly.

 

They stop by Seokmin’s apartment to gather a few things he’ll need, like things for work, toiletries, a few sets of clothes and some perishable groceries.

“Seokmin, there is literally something growing on this cheese,” Soonyoung calls, scrunching his nose as he rummages through the fridge.

“Oops, I forgot about that. Just put it in the bin,” Seokmin calls back. Annie is dutifully holding open a backpack for Seokmin to put clothes into, and Seokmin rewards her later with a lolly when Soonyoung isn’t looking. 

(He realises later though, when she’s singing at the top of her lungs to the radio all the way back home.)

 

“You know where everything is,” Soonyoung says when they enter the apartment. Annie immediately drops her bag and runs for the couch, her favourite TV show having started five minutes ago.

“Only been here a hundred times,” Seokmin answers and Soonyoung smiles. Seokmin puts his bag in a corner of the living room and puts away the food from his apartment, as Soonyoung shuffles around the apartment, gathering toys and strewn about clothes.

Ten minutes later, Seokmin rests a hand at the small of his back when Soonyoung is sorting the laundry, and Soonyoung jumps at the touch.

Seokmin chuckles. “It’s just me, hyung,” he grins. “I’ll start dinner?”

“Oh,” Soonyoung looks at the shirt in his hand and then at Seokmin, “no, I uh, I’ll get to that in a second, I just need to finish this - ”

Seokmin smiles. “If I’m staying here, I’m not going to just be a guest who sits on the couch while you do everything. So let me help out, okay?”

Soonyoung just nods mutely, watching Seokmin slip back out into the corridor, and then heading to the kitchen. He hears Seokmin humming and Annie’s voice carrying through the corridor, even though he can’t hear exactly what they’re saying.

Soonyoung smiles and goes back to sorting laundry.

 

Seokmin’s head is swimming with the possible curriculums for the next year, as he steps out of the elevator and rummages for the apartment keys in his pocket. He’s been staying at Soonyoung’s only a couple of days, but he’s already learnt so much about his old friend and his daughter.

Soonyoung and Seokmin had been part of the same friendship group in college, getting along easily with similar humour and the same easily excitable nature. But after college, after Soonyoung suddenly got _married_ and Seokmin had to bury the tiny (huge) college crush he had on the older, they lost touch. Soonyoung drifted from everyone in their group, save those he saw through work, but even they said he wasn’t close to them the same way he had been in college. Everyone joked that it was what happened when you got married, but they all knew that wasn’t true.

They only really got back in touch when Seokmin faced a ice-blue haired Soonyoung sending his six-year-old daughter to her first day of school, alone. He was alone to pick her up and send her off every day after that.

It had taken to meeting Junhui in a supermarket a couple of months later, to find out that Soonyoung’s wife had left him and their daughter about two years prior; Soonyoung was now divorced and a single father. Seokmin never got the details, and never asked.

They chatted sometimes after school, but mostly about what was the most effective bribery for six year olds, and likewise advice on children. It was shallow conversation, but Soonyoung was only ever around for as long as he needed to be, and then he was off - running to something or other. There had been some friend group catch ups, and even a few dinners at Soonyoung’s apartment on weekends, because he couldn’t leave Annie, but didn’t want to miss out on seeing frends, so he would offer to cook pasta or stew and they’d sit around with beers after Annie had been put to bed.

The biggest factor stalling the restoration of their friendship to how it had been in the past was actually the time in between that was never talked about - Seokmin would sometimes catch Soonyoung looking distracted, or distant, and wonder what he was thinking about - if it was something that happened in the seven or so years that they lost touch.

Seokmin sighs heavily as he puts the key in the door, mind full of heavy thoughts. So he’s especially startled when he toes off his shoes and takes one step into the living room and then immediately gets tackled to the floor.

“Agent Papa, is the target safe?!” Annie cries from where she’s standing on the living room couch, still wearing her school dress. She’s wearing an old broken headset, the long wire tied around her waist, microphone in front of her face.

“Target safe, Agent Annie!” Soonyoung cries from under Seokmin’s arm, now scrambling to his feet. “They’re coming back though!”

“Run! I’ll get back up!” Annie cries, pretending to type furiously into an imaginary computer by her side, making the clacking noises of the keys herself, eyes furrowed in determination.

Seokmin struggles to keep a straight face, mouth twitching up at the edges. Soonyoung catches it and smirks a little, before fixing his headset and reporting to Agent Annie that they were moving to the safehouse. He grabs Seokmin’s arm and tugs him over to the other side of the living room, near the window, where there’s a blanket fort set up between the edge of the couch and some dining chairs.

“We’re safe, Agent Annie,” Soonyoung reports, crouching at the entrance of the blanket fort, while Seokmin has awkwardly craned his neck to try and fit inside. It’s clearly meant for a seven-year-old.

“Good work, Agent Papa,” Annie’s voice calls and Seokmin smiles. As he watches Soonyoung report back to her and pretend to be on the lookout for whoever is chasing them, he thinks Annie is one lucky girl - Soonyoung is a great father in many ways, including being a secret spy with her on afternoons after school.

“They’re here!” Soonyoung cries and raises finger guns and makes the cartoon-like ‘pew pew’ sound of cartoon guns. Seokmin chuckles, but then Soonyoung gasps dramatically and falls backwards, clutching his chest, bumping a chair in the process and sending the whole blanket fort falling on top of them.

Seokmin, confused at first, worries something really happened. He scrambles forward to Soonyoung, struggling through the sheets, facing Soonyoung with a blanket still draped over his head.

“Agent Annie, I’ve been shot!” Soonyoung says dramatically, splaying his limbs out like he’s a dying protagonist in a movie.

“Nooooo!” Annie cries, jumping off from the couch and rushing towards them. “No, Agent Papa, you can’t die!”

“You’re in base, remember, Annie?” Soonyoung lifts his head to whisper and Annie freezes before clambering back onto the couch, staying there obediently.

Then the game resumes. “Nooooo, Agent Papa, hang on! Back up is coming!!”

Soonyoung looks up at Seokmin, whole face crumpled in fake pain. “The target….” he mumbles, hand reaching to touch Seokmn’s cheek, and for a moment, for a very brief moment, Seokmin feels like Soonyoung really is the protagonist in an action movie and he’s that damsel in distress who just sits there helplessly while the hero makes some stupid cheesy speech, when in reality he should probably have died two whole minutes ago. 

Seokmin knows this is all just an act - all part of the role playing game they’re all playing, but the look in Soonyoung’s eyes doesn’t seem false. He’s looking at Seokmin like he’s glad Seokmin’s the last sight he sees before he dies.

Seokmin’s heart stutters in his chest. So much for a buried college crush. It was very much alive, kicking and screaming.

“The target is safe,” Soonyoung murmurs before dropping his hand and sticking his tongue out, ‘dead’.

“Nooooooo!” Annie screams from ‘base’.

Before Seokmin can react to the situation and maybe pretend to actually be an agent too or something, the oven _dings_ and Soonyoung bolts upright.

“Dinner is done!” he chirps and Annie cheers, pulling off her headset. 

“You have to wash your hands and face before you eat, princess,” Soonyoung says as he pulls his own headset off, getting to his feet.

Seokmin is still processing that the game is over and Soonyoung isn’t ‘dead’ anymore. He’s probably gaping, because Soonyoung turns back, smiles at him, and offers him a hand to get out of the collapsed blanket fort.

Annie rushes off to the bathroom to go wash her hands and face, while Seokmin follows Soonyoung into the kitchen a little numbly.

Soonyoung chuckles at his perplexed face. “Sorry about the sudden tackle, and thanks for playing along,” he says, “Games over though, you’re not actually a target in danger,”

Seokmin laughs softly then. “I’m glad,” he says, as he grabs the cutlery and plates while Soonyoung gets the casserole out of the oven.

Annie returns and obediently helps set up the cutlery while Soonyoung brings their dinner to the little dining table. Seokmin, sitting opposite them both, is still a little lost when Soonyoung smiles brightly at him before they start. He helps himself to dinner, and nearly burns his mouth trying to forget the look in Soonyoung’s eyes when he had been ‘dying’.

 

It takes four and a half days for Soonyoung to notice Seokmin hunching a little, wincing every time he straightens his back. Soonyoung eyes him over the rim of his coffee cup as Seokmin’s smile bleeds discomfort as he sits on the floor to play with Annie.

“Seokmin,” Soonyoung says a moment later, getting up from the table. Seokmin turns around, and Soonyoung almost forgets the question on the tip of his tongue as he spots the pink bow Annie has clipped to Seokmin’s hair.

Soonyoung smiles and points out said bow wordlessly. Seokmin touches it and grins. “Annie said I have to be pretty to serve the customers in the cafe, isn’t that right, sweetie?” he chirps at her. Annie choruses her approval and Soonyoung shakes his head and sits on the couch beside them.

“Is the couch uncomfortable? You look like you’re in pain,” Soonyoung nudges his back with a toe and Seokmin squirms away.

“I’m fine,” Seokmin says, turning back to Annie who is now very insistent that he pour the imaginary tea into the cups with a pinky sticking out.

“Seokmin,” Soonyoung pokes his back with a toe again. “Seriously, we can work something out if the couch is hurting your back.”

“Like what, hyung? You only have two beds, and I can’t ask you to sleep on the couch,”

“We could alternate or something,” Soonyoung says.

“No, I could never ask you to do that!” Seokmin splutters, aghast.

“It wouldn’t even be that bad, just like every two or three days, we switch,” Soonyoung argues.

“He can have my room! I could sleep with Dad,” Annie chimes in and Soonyoung hums, thinking. That could work, Annie could sleep with him, and Seokmin could take her room. It might be a bit small, but it would be better than the couch - 

“Wait, no,” Soonyoung gives her a stern look and Annie immediately retreats, shrinking in her yellow sweater. Seokmin looks bewildered. “We discussed this, Annie. Only on weekends,”

“But - !” Annie cries but Soonyoung raises a hand and she stops, pout forming.

Seokmin looks at him, and Soonyoung explains. “We’re trying to get her used to sleeping alone, so she’s only allowed to sleep with me on weekends,”

“Oh, I see,” Seokmin mumbles. 

Soonyoung hesitates for a moment, then says, “I mean, unless… you share with me?”

Seokmin looks at Soonyoung with wide eyes. “Hyung, are you… are you sure?”

Soonyoung doesn’t let himself think about it. “My bed’s big enough, and it’ll just be like college, right?”

He tells himself it’s just like that, that night, when Seokmin climbs into his bed. 

“Oh, she’s in bed already?” Soonyoung snaps out of his concentration, peering at Seokmin over his reading glasses. His side of the bed is strewn with notes, nonsensical doodles that make sense only to him. The other side is empty - and Seokmin knows its been empty for years.

“Already dreaming,” Seokmin smiles as he turns off the room light, leaving them only in the soft light of Soonyoung’s bedside lamp. “She didn’t even get to the end of the story,” he pouts a little, sulking. “It was such a good end too!”

Soonyoung chuckles. “She’ll ask you read it to her again tomorrow,” he smiles, then sighs and scrubs at his face. “I should have said goodnight. She’s going to be mad tomorrow,”

Seokmin smiles, soft and gentle. “I’m sure we can bribe her with pancakes,”

Soonyoung laughs. “True that,”

Seokmin snuggles into the covers and Soonyoung reaches to turn off the light. “Oh, do what you need to do, I don’t mind the light,” Seokmin says, hand resting on Soonyoung’s arm.

“Are you sure?” Soonyoung hesitates, hand hovering over the switch, papers still all over his lap. He feels like he’s getting goosebumps on his arm where Seokmin’s hand had been, even as he retracts it to beneath the covers.

Seokmin smiles. “Yeah, I’m sure,” he helps organise some of them into a pile, before settling back onto the pillow, smiling at Soonyoung, “Goodnight, hyung,”

Soonyoung smiles, seeing Seokmin’s smile bathed in soft light. “Goodnight, Seokmin,”

 

Soonyoung glances over his shoulder when he hears the happy squeak of his daughter from the kitchen, followed by Seokmin hushing her. He chuckles and shakes his head, focussing on ironing Annie’s school uniform. He also has to vacuum the living room after, and Seokmin said he'd clean the kitchen after they were done baking, so hopefully he could start cooking dinner soon - 

Soonyoung is startled when a hand appears in front of his face, holding a warm brown cookie. Said cookie is shoved into his mouth before Soonyoung turns to see Seokmin grinning at him, another cookie in his other hand.

“Careful, it's hot!” Seokmin says, popping the other cookie in his own mouth before going back to the kitchen, where Annie can be seen peeking out, the corners of her mouth already smeared with chocolate. She giggles, disappearing back into the kitchen as Seokmin returns, while Soonyoung stands in the living room dumbly with a warm choc chip cookie in his mouth.

It takes him a moment before he actually chews it, savouring the warm baked treat. He smiles, finishing it as he thinks about Seokmin and Annie in the kitchen, giggling over choc chip cookies. He wonders if he should let Seokmin bake with Annie more often.

Then he realises how much sugar is in them, realises Annie probably ate half of the tray, and groans. She's not going to be able to sleep tonight.

 

“Don’t you have to go, hyung?” Chan asks, expression puzzled, as he pokes his head through the door. The class is finished and Soonyoung is still hovering around, listening to some music they were practicing to before.

“Huh?” Soonyoung lifts his head. “Oh, no, not today. Seokmin is going to bring Annie here after school, so I can stick around,” he says.

“Seokmin-hyung?” Chan asks, as the two of them leave the studio room.

“Yeah, he’s a teacher at Annie’s school?” Soonyoung reminds him as they head into the small office, Soonyoung reaching for the paperwork he’s meant to go through.

“Yeah, I remember,” Chan says, “but why is he bringing Annie here?”

“Oh, ‘cause he’s staying with me at the moment. There’s some roadworks near his place, so he’s going to come here so we can go home together later,” Soonyoung says absently, eyes reading through the paperwork.

“He’s… staying with you….” Chan repeats slowly.

Soonyoung hums, still reading. Then he pauses and turns to look at Chan. “Why?”

Chan hurriedly shakes his head, hands even lifted in front of him like a surrender. “No, nothing,” he flashes a quick smile before darting out of the office and Soonyoung watches the doorway for a moment, confused, before going back to his paperwork, dismissing it.

Soonyoung only gets through two more documents before the door opens and Junhui pops his head through the door, a playful grin on his face.

“Seokmin is staying with you?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Soonyoung answers, oblivious.

“And he’s bringing your daughter here?”

“Yeah?” Soonyoung frowns, confused.

“Okay,” Junhui chirps, retreating out the door.

Soonyoung wonders why his dance team, who are also the teachers at his studio, are so weird.

 

“What are you going to draw today, Annie?” Minghao asks as Annie climbs onto his lap at the reception desk. 

Whenever Minghao is on reception duty - which he usually is on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons when Annie has to spend her afternoon at the studio - he lets her sit on his lap and draws with her whenever he’s not working, or wheels her around on the wheelie chair if no one is looking (though everyone knows). (Soonyoung tells him off every now and again because sometimes it leaves scratches on the floor.)

“Me and Uncle Seokmin made cookies on the weekend, so I’m going to draw that!” Annie says, setting up her pencils.

“Uncle Seokmin and I,” Seokmin corrects with a smile as he leans over the counter. “Hey Minghao, how have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while,”

“I was doing some overseas classes in China with Junhui-ge,” Minghao says, hand reaching out to clasp Seokmin’s - the most he can manage with Annie on his lap, already seriously drawing, a tongue sticking out between pink lips.

“I heard about that! How did they go? Did you have a lot of interest?” Seokmin says.

“Pretty good, considering it was our first set of classes. They went well, so hopefully if we try it again, it’ll do even better,” Minghao answers.

“Uncle Myungho, do you have a green crayon?” Annie interrupts.

“No, sweetheart, I don’t, but I have a green pen, is that okay?”

“Papa says I’m not allowed to use pens yet,” Annie pouts.

Minghao laughs. “What about texta?”

“Only if he’s watching,” Annie answers.

“Well if we’re watching you, then it should be okay right?” Minghao answers, handing her a green highlighter.

“Why do you need a green crayon when you’re drawing cookies, Annie?” Seokmin asks.

Annie opens her mouth to explain then falters. “Oh…. you’re right,” she says. “Cookies aren’t green!”

“No, dear, they were brown. They were choc-chip cookies, remember?”

“My favourite!” Annie crows happily.

Minghao laughs and bounces her on his lap once and she dutifully goes back to drawing.

Seokmin chuckles. “You look like you’re totally experienced with her,”

“She’s here two days a week, that’s the least you could expect,” Minghao grins. He leans over to pinch one of her cheeks. “We’re drawing pals, right, Annie?”

“Right!” Annie says, not even looking up from her drawing. Minghao grins and strokes her hair.

“Well my job of chaperone has been taken over,” Seokmin chuckles.

“Why don’t you go see hyung?” Minghao suggests. “He’s teaching in studio number one,”

“Oh, I don’t want to bother him,” Seokmin waves the suggestion away.

“So don’t go in. But you can watch from the door, they’re all glass. A lot of the kids do that when they want to see what the other classes are doing,” Minghao says.

Seokmin hesitates. “Hyung is totally different when he’s dancing,” Minghao adds, as if it’ll convince him.

“I imagine he’s totally different when with his daughter too,” Seokmin laughs.

Minghao grins. “His students think teacher Hoshi and father-of-Annie Soonyoung are two different people. Some genuinely can’t believe they’re the same person, even when Annie runs into his class, and he carries her around while teaching,”

Seokmin laughs. “I can’t imagine,”

“It’s pretty funny. One moment he’s cooing over her, the next he’s criticising someone’s footwork, and then immediately goes back to fixing her hair.”

Seokmin laughs again. “Well, I guess I’d better have a look,”

“Studio number one,” Minghao says, pointing down the corridor, “at the end. You won’t miss it,”

Seokmin smiles and waves. Annie too busy drawing to wave back, but Minghao smiles and waves as Seokmin makes his way down the corridor.

The rooms are soundproofed, but some of the music bleeds out a little through the doorway. Seokmin stops outside studio number one where he can hear some of the bass thumping through the glass door.

Inside, there are mirrors on two sides, the students stand behind Soonyoung at the front, all of them facing the main mirrored wall. Soonyoung is in his dance clothes, hair pushed back from his forehead with a headband, face pink from exercise. Seokmin can see all of them in the room, the glass doorway to the side of the studio.

They’re all moving, doing the choreography to the music. Soonyoung is standing at the front, facing them, watching with razor sharp gaze at all the little details. When they finish that section, Soonyoung is saying something about the footwork, demonstrating, but Seokmin can’t hear his words. They’re all still as Soonyoung talks, either standing or crouching in their positions, while Soonyoung demonstrates that section of the choreography again.

Seokmin watches, entranced, as Soonyoung twists his arms and does complicated footwork, moves his body to the beat that they can all hear. Seokmin can’t really hear the details, but it’s enough, just watching Soonyoung, expression completely focused as he watches his own movements in the mirror.

The section Soonyoung is showing ends with both hands in front, and Seokmin nearly claps when Soonyoung finishes. Soonyoung turns to say something to his students and sees Seokmin standing at the door, and he pauses, eyes locked on Seokmin for a moment.

Seokmin goes pink, somehow embarrassed about being caught watching, and realises his mouth was open, gaping. He hurriedly shuts it as Soonyoung smiles and waves at him, and Seokmin is so embarrassed he just hurries back down the corridor, face flushed.

“Did you find it?” Minghao asks when Seokmin returns. 

“Uh, yeah, just didn’t want to disturb them,” Seokmin says hurriedly, easily distracted by Annie, who waves her completed drawing of cookies at him.

Minghao just watches Seokmin, who still looks flustered even as he helps Annie write their names and the date they baked the cookies at the bottom of her drawing. He smirks at little, but doesn’t say anything, just bouncing Annie on his lap.

Chan comes by in between classes a bit later in the afternoon and waves overly enthusiastically at Seokmin sitting in the reception area with Minghao and Annie. Seokmin guesses his classes went well, and just smiles back, waving, unaware of the look that Chan sends Minghao.

Junhui is less subtle, sliding into the seat next to him when Annie is sitting in his lap, reading to him.

“Hi Uncle Jun,” Annie chirps before going back to reading, Seokmin quietly correcting her occasionally. She has to read two (picture) books a day, so Seokmin is helping her with her homework.

When she finishes, closing the book with a satisfied smile as Seokmin praises her, Junhui asks, “Do you like having Uncle Seokmin staying with you, Annie?”

“Yeah!” Annie says, “Papa let us bake all weekend! And I got extra dessert!” 

“Is that all I’m good for?” Seokmin laughs, “More baking and extra dessert?””

“Noooooo,” Annie quickly denies, squirming to hug him, small arms wrapping around his neck. “Uncle Seokmin is funny, and makes me and Dad laugh even when we’re doing the dishes, and Dad hates doing the dishes. Sometimes he even does them too, and Dad is really happy at those times!”

“Is that so?” Junhui smirks at Seokmin, who merely beams happily at Annie.

“He was a monkey the other day, and it was sooooooo funny,” Annie giggles into Seokmin’s neck, and he adjusts his hold on her to make sure she doesn’t fall over.

“Your duck impression was pretty good too!” Seokmin says, and Annie immediately makes a face, pretending to flap her arms like wings. Seokmin and Junhui laugh and Annie nearly falls off Seokmin’s lap, Seokmin hurriedly fumbling to grab her and hold her tightly.

“Are you doing your duck impression, Annie?” Soonyoung appears in the reception area to their giggling.

“Dad! Dad!” Despite Seokmin trying to hold her tightly, Annie jumps off his lap to run to her father, who easily crouches to scoop her up. “Wasn’t Uncle Seokmin acting like a money the other day super funny?” she asks, as Soonyoung adjusts his bag on his shoulder, while still holding onto her.

Soonyoung glances at Seokmin, who looks a little bashful, sitting in the reception area with Junhui.

“Yeah it was,” Soonyoung smiles at him and Junhui glances between the two of them, mouth twisting at the corners, amused.

“Well, you guys better head home,” Junhui says, getting to his feet and brushing imagining dust from his pants. “It’s nearly dinner time,”

“Yeah, I’m hungry,” Annie pouts. “You didn’t pack enough snacks today, Dad,”

Soonyoung chokes on his spit. “I did so!”

“I ate a couple of cookies, so she’s upset,” Seokmin says, stepping up to them, holding his arms open, an offer to carry Annie, since he knows Soonyoung is tired after teaching.

Annie makes a face and clings tightly onto her father, reluctant to leave him. Soonyoung throws him a grateful smile anyway, especially when Seokmin reaches over and takes his bag instead. “Well, let’s go home then,” he says, shifting Annie in his arms. “At least I know the cookies didn’t ruin your appetite today,” Soonyoung says.

“Cookies aren’t bad!” Annie protests as Soonyoung opens the door to the studio to leave.

Soonyoung continues to argue with his daughter all the way to the car, as Seokmin carries Annie’s school bag and Soonyoung’s bag.

Junhui watches them both from the doorway, a hand on his hip and an eyebrow raised.

“I wonder when they’ll figure it out,” he murmurs. He chuckles and goes to turn off the lights to close the studio for the night.

 

Soonyoung is dreaming about attending a concert of his favourite dancer, screaming his lungs out, when he feels a tug on his sleeve.

He hesitates a second, frowning, turning around in his dream, and then the tug happens again, followed by a broken sounding voice.

“Papa….”

Soonyoung’s eyes snap open to the darkness of his room as Annie sniffs and he immediately bolts up.

“Annie?!” he whispers, voice hoarse.

Realising he's awake seems to start the waterworks afresh as Annie starts crying again and Soonyoung hurriedly reaches over to pull her up onto the bed.

The movement wakes Seokmin as Soonyoung sits his daughter on his lap and tries to wipe her tears, face distraught, unable to work out what made her so upset.

“Baby, what happened? Did you have a bad dream?” Soonyoung is practically pleading with her, because she isn’t saying anything, simply cries, and clings onto his shirt.

Seokmin sits up in bed too, looking at Soonyoung with wide eyes. Soonyoung can only manage a desperate glance at him before his attention is back to his daughter.

“Annie, baby, please, tell me what’s wrong,” Soonyoung wipes her tears once more and kisses her snotty nose.

Annie hiccups a couple of times, before somehow garbling out a, “Mama,” and Soonyoung’s blood runs cold.

“Annie…..” Soonyoung’s voice takes on this brokenness that Seokmin knows only comes with the mention of his ex-wife, Annie’s mother.

“Why isn’t Mama here?” Annie wails after several hiccups. Her hands have formed little fists, gripping Soonyoung’s shirt sleeves tightly. “Why did Mama leave? Doesn’t Mama love me?”

Soonyoung can’t answer any of those questions in a way that would satisfy her. None of his answers would make her happy. The true answers would only hurt her more and Soonyoung can’t lie, not to his daughter. So he replies with the truth but doesn’t answer her questions - says he loves her and that she’s precious and beautiful - but Annie keeps asking for her mother, and Soonyoung’s heart breaks.

But even as Soonyoung tries to soothe her tears and rock her to sleep, his one insecurity is coming back to haunt him: that he isn’t a good father. He can give Annie everything in the world except the one thing she wants - her mother; and no matter what he does, no matter how much money he makes or time he spends with her, he can’t replace that.

Seokmin is by Soonyoung’s side the whole time, whispering soft comforting words, and stroking Annie’s hair. But he also keeps an arm around Soonyoung as well, comforting him too, though Soonyoung isn’t sure if it’s intentional or not.

It takes a long while, and Soonyoung’s shirt front is soaked in tears by the time Annie drifts off to sleep, nose snotty and eyes puffy. Soonyoung started crying somewhere along the way, silent tears just running down his cheeks, not making a sound, though Seokmin rubs his back a few times.

Soonyoung swipes at his face now that his daughter asleep and can’t see him crying. Seokmin grabs some tissues and wipes Annie’s face clean.

“Do you want me to take her back to bed?” Seokmin asks quietly. He knows Soonyoung hurt his shoulder a bit at the studio earlier that day.

“No, I’ll keep her here, in case she wakes up again,” Soonyoung says, sniffling and swiping at his cheeks again. He glances at Seokmin. “If that’s okay with you,”

Seokmin smiles gently at him. “That’s not something for me to deny, even if I wasn’t okay with it, which I am,” he says. He hesitates for a moment before he reaches over to brush more tears from Soonyoung’s cheek.

“Are _you_ okay?” Seokmin asks softly.

Soonyoung just shrugs, holds his daughter closer, rocks her a bit. “This isn’t the first time,” he says quietly. “She has these questions every now and again, and these nightmares come sometimes too.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re okay,” Seokmin says. 

Soonyoung shrugs again. He doesn’t look up, his shoulders slumped a little as he holds Annie close to his chest. “She’s my baby, Seokmin. I want to give her everything, and knowing I can’t give her something, and that that makes her sad…. It makes me feel like I’m not a good parent,”

Seokmin’s expression is sad as he puts an arm around Soonyoung again. “That doesn’t make you a bad parent, hyung, you still give her everything you can,”

“But no matter what I do, I can’t give her her own mother,” Soonyoung says, expression distraught, face scrunching up as he tries to hold his tears from flowing again.

“But that’s not your fault,” Seokmin murmurs. Soonyoung squeezes his eyes tightly, and the tears fall. Seokmin wraps both arms around him and Annie, as Soonyoung holds his daughter and cries quietly, brokenly, in the dead of the night.

 

Soonyoung wakes slowly. His throat is dry and his head hurts a little. He’s sprawled on his side, the rest of the bed empty. It’s the weekend, so there’s no alarm blaring at him to get up, but the smell of toast wafts into the room.

He pads out of the room silently, listening to the whistle of the kettle boiling, and the telltale sound of Annie kicking the chair, which she always does when she has to wait.

“Now, you can’t tell your dad, okay?” Soonyoung hears Seokmin say quietly as he pokes his head around the corner of the kitchen to see Seokmin handing Annie a colourful plate. Sprinkles on toast. Her favourite.

“You’re the best, Uncle Seokmin,” Annie giggles before eagerly taking a huge bite.

Soonyoung chuckles and lets her have nearly half the piece before saying, “I see you, little rascal. Did you trick Uncle Seokmin to get sprinkles?”

Annie freezes, mouth full of sprinkles and toast, and mouth covered in them. Her eyes go wide as she turns around, looking absolutely guilty.

“Uncle Seokmin said I could!” she garbles through her bread.

“No talking with your mouth full,” Soonyoung chides before stepping over to kiss her forehead, but really, he’s just glad that, although she has slightly puffy eyes, Annie doesn’t even seem to remember what happened during the night.

“Guilty,” Seokmin says, with a smile that shows he doesn’t regret it. Soonyoung looks at him, sitting at the kitchen table with his daughter, a mug of coffee in hand, and smiles.

He mouths a tiny ‘thank you’, to which Seokmin just smiles in return and asks if he wants coffee.

“Coffee would be great,” Soonyoung says.

 

It’s somewhere between the episode with the nightmare, and Soonyoung walking into the kitchen on a Sunday morning to the smell of instant pancakes that are burning because Annie can’t flip them fast enough, that Soonyoung realises Seokmin has become part of their routine; and he likes it more than he cares to admit.

It's not long after that, of course, that the routine shatters.

“Are you going to stay forever, Uncle Seokmin?” Annie asks one day, lying on the floor at their feet as she draws.

At her question, Seokmin freezes. “No, I… I have to go home soon,” he glances at Soonyoung, eyes equally as wide. “They’ve… probably finished the works by now.” Seokmin has been staying with them for three and a half weeks already.

A cold feeling washes over Soonyoung. He forgot this was only temporary. Seokmin wasn’t actually becoming part of their routine, their family.

Two days later, Seokmin smiles, a forced twist of his lips, and leaves with his bag. The living room no longer has Seokmin’s clothes thrown in a corner; the kitchen no longer smells permanently like cookies.

That night, Soonyoung climbs into a bed by himself, has a cold space next to him, and thinks Seokmin didn’t forget to take everything that belonged to him. He took his clothes, his toiletries, even some leftover food; most of all, he also took with him a large chunk of Soonyoung’s heart.

 

Soonyoung nearly trips over trying to round the corner too quickly. He’s late, again. But there was that lady who wanted a refund even though her daughter had attended every class and Soonyoung spent so long trying to reason with her - 

Annie is sitting on the swingset, laughter bubbling from her chest happily as she’s pushed by Seokmin. She’s the last one in the playground.

Soonyoung falters by the edge of the playground, hesitating. It’s been a week since Seokmin left their apartment, and Soonyoung spent so much time trying to be fine, he had been losing sleep and getting distracted during everything. Soonyoung had been trying to pretend Seokmin had left their lives too - just like Annie’s mum did, all those years ago. It’s easier that way.

But Seokmin wasn’t out of their lives - he was still a teacher at Annie’s school, still a friend in the same friendship group, still the one who made Soonyoung’s heart tumble and somersault with the mere sight of him.

Both Seokmin and Annie spot him at the same time, and Seokmin helps her slow down the swing before she jumps out and runs over to her father. Soonyoung picks her up easily, settling her on one arm.

He smiles at her warmly. “How was your day at school, baby?”

“Good!” Annie chirps, wrapping little arms around his neck.

Seokmin comes over with her backpack, and Soonyoung manages the fakest smile he’s ever made, as he takes the backpack with his other hand, being careful not to brush any skin.

“Thanks, Seokmin,” Soonyoung says, feeling a sharp stab to his chest just saying the other’s name. Seokmin smiles in return but doesn’t say anything, and Soonyoung doesn’t notice how strained it is.

“I was asking Uncle Seokmin,” Annie pipes up between their awkward silence, “how come he can’t stay forever, Papa?” 

“Annie,” Soonyoung says quietly, sighing and putting her on down. 

“He does the dishes, Papa! And he doesn’t forget to say goodnight to me,” Annie says, pouting, as she grips his hand. Soonyoung knows that pout. That’s a sad pout that wants answers. Saying _it’s not that simple_ would only get him more questions of _why_. Soonyoung doesn’t think he can handle that.

Soonyoung glances at Seokmin, but the teacher just has a small smile on his lips. “Don’t you have to go back to the studio?” Seokmin says instead and Soonyoung nods.

“Yeah, I do. I - Thanks, Seokmin, I’ll… I’ll see you later,” and then he grips Annie’s hand and hurries out the school gates.

The whole time, Soonyoung had been so focussed on not showing his sadness or pain, he hadn’t seen the pain mirrored back at him, or the way Seokmin’s smile never reached his eyes.

 

“Hyung,” Chan appears at the doorway as Soonyoung is explaining how important facial expressions are to the performance, because dance is more than just moving your body to music.

“Later, Chan,” Soonyoung says quickly, before going back to his lecture.

“Hyung, seriously, it’s Annie,”

Soonyoung actually hesitates. Annie is in school, why would - ?

“She fell off a swing and hit her head. They want you to go to school immediately - ” Chan barely finishes his sentence before Soonyoung is out the door, sprinting through the studio out to his car.

Chan blinks, having just had the equivalent of a human whirlwind going past him.

“Well,” he says, “Uh, I guess I can take over for the last half hour,” he says. 

 

Soonyoung may have broken a couple of speed limits getting to school, but he barely cares. It’s just after lunch time, and the grounds are empty, all the students inside their classrooms.

Soonyoung nearly forgets to put his car in park, he’s so frazzled. He runs into school grounds, sprinting down corridors until he rounds the corner where the school infirmary is located.

Sitting on a chair outside it is Seokmin, head in his hands. He looks up as Soonyoung rounds the corner, getting up as Soonyoung sprints towards it.

Soonyoung tries to go around him, go into the infirmary and see his daughter, but Seokmin grabs his shoulders.

“Seokmin, let me go,” Soonyoung says, voice breaking as he tries to go around Seokmin to enter the infirmary, but Seokmin’s grip on his shoulders is firm.

“Hyung, you have to calm down, you look like you’re about to have a panic attack,”

“Seokmin, let me go in and see her, please,” Soonyoung pleads, eyes flicking between Seokmin and the door.

“Hyung, she’s fine, but you have to calm down,” Seokmin says.

Soonyoung’s breath is rapid, from both running and his wave of panic and he struggles to even look at Seokmin properly, too worried.

“Hyung, it’s okay, she’s okay,” Seokmin says slowly, “breathe in, breathe out,”

Soonyoung looks distressed, staring at the door, but he swallows shakily, eyes looking panicked as he tries desperately to calm down.

After Seokmin is satisfied Soonyoung is calm enough, he guides him into the room, talking to the nurse quietly as Soonyoung hurries to the little bed where Annie is lying, eyes closed, asleep. She’s got a small patch of bandage on one corner of her forehead, but otherwise looks fine. In fact she’s sprawled amongst the covers, sheets already messed up, her mouth slightly open.

Soonyoung, though, just about breaks as he sinks to his knees by the bed.

“Oh my poor baby,” he whispers, stroking her hair near the bandage. “My beautiful baby,” He takes a shaky breath in, trying to calm down, but instead, tears spill from his cheeks and he cries, trying to muffle his sobs to be quiet, but there’s something incredibly broken about the way Soonyoung is crying into the bed beside Annie’s sleeping form. 

Seokmin wordlessly lowers himself beside him and rubs his back, arm around his shoulders comfortingly as Soonyoung shakes. “She’ll be okay, hyung,” Seokmin murmurs. Seokmin gets him some tissues and after a long moment, Soonyoung calms down and wipes his nose and face, and stares at his daughter some more.

A little later, the nurse checks her again, and says Annie will be okay, but just in case, she should take a day off from school tomorrow. Soonyoung nods and thanks her several times. Seokmin goes to get her backpack from her classroom, as Soonyoung very gently pulls her into his arms to carry her.

They meet in the corridor and Seokmin walks with him out of school grounds and to his car. Soonyoung very carefully straps his daughter into the front seat, putting her backpack at her feet. When he’s done, he steps back, but doesn’t close the door to the car yet, turning to Seokmin.

“Thanks,” Soonyoung says quietly, as they stand by the open door. “And sorry, for panicking.” Seokmin has probably handled all kinds of worried and stressed parents. It was his job to, after all, so Soonyoung was probably not an unusual case. Soonyoung wasn’t special. He was… just another parent, who happened to be a friend. He tries to drill that fact into his heart, so he won’t be hurt every time he sees Seokmin at school. He’s still working on it.

“No, hyung I - I’m sorry. I didn’t protect her, take care of her like I said I would,” Seokmin says, looking truly disappointed with himself. “I was just talking to one of the other kids, just for a moment, and then the next thing I knew she had fallen and - and - ”

“Seokmin, hey, it’s okay,” Soonyoung says, trying to soothe Seokmin’s distraught expression.

“No, hyung, it’s not. I said I’d take care of her for you and I didn’t - ” Seokmin says, looking on the verge of tears.

Soonyoung cups his face with both hands and tries for a smile when Seokmin looks at him. “You can’t protect her all the time. I can’t either, even though it kills me to think about. I don’t want to bubble wrap her and never let her experience anything,”

“But she…”

“Hit her head. Will probably have a bump for a few days and have a headache tonight, but she’ll be okay,” Soonyoung smiles. “If she’s truly my daughter, she’s got a thick skull, don’t worry,”

They both chuckle a little at that. Seokmin eventually nods slowly, face still in Soonyoung’s hands. Soonyoung quickly drops his hands, realising what he was doing, face going a little pink as he realises how close they are. They’re almost toe to toe, facing each other.

“I, uh, should go,” Soonyoung says, shifting a little nervously. He’s stuck between the car door and Seokmin though, so he doesn’t have much room _to_ shift.

“Yeah,” Seokmin says, but doesn’t step away. After a moment, he wraps a hand around Soonyoung’s fingers, squeezing them. He doesn’t seem to be phased by the action. Meanwhile, Soonyoung is having an internal panic attack.

“I’m still sorry, hyung, I’ll take better care of her in the future, I promise,” Seokmin says and Soonyoung tries to make himself seem totally calm as he meets Seokmin’s gaze. 

It’s the genuine look in Seokmin’s eyes (at least that’s what he tells himself later) that has Soonyoung instinctively leaning in, just slightly, before stopping, realising, their lips just centimetres apart.

“I - ” Soonyoung starts, about pull away, to apologize, try to fix everything back to the way it was; but he sees Seokmin’s wide eyes and the pink dusting across his nose and wonders maybe, _maybe_ , he isn’t the only one who doesn’t want everything to go back to the way it was.

Soonyoung takes a leap of faith and leans the rest of the way, lips pressing against Seokmin’s, softly, gently. It’s barely a chaste kiss, before Soonyoung pulls away slowly. 

Seokmin doesn’t let him get very far though, hand reaching up to curl at the back of Soonyoung’s neck and pull him back. This kiss is firmer, more sure, the understanding clear now.

There’s no hesitation from either of them as Seokmin opens his mouth against Soonyoung’s, both of them barely remembering to breathe as they kiss again and again.

“Does this mean Uncle Seokmin is going to stay forever?”

Soonyoung jerks away from Seokmin, and Seokmin lets him go almost like he’s been given an electric shock.

In the front seat of the car, Annie is watching them through half lidded eyes, blinking sleepily at them.

Seokmin turns tomato red, while Soonyoung quickly turns to her, cheeks pink as he fusses over her.

“Does your head hurt, baby? How are you feeling?” he says as he tugs her school cardigan closer across her chest, making sure the seatbelt isn’t choking her.

“Is he going to stay forever, Papa? I want him to, especially if he makes you happy too,” Annie mumbles as she closes her eyes and falls asleep again.

Soonyoung sighs heavily, hands on either side of her chair, hanging his head to take a breather for a moment. He feels like he’s just lost five years on his lifespan, with all the events of the afternoon.

Warm hands rest at his hips, and Soonyoung steps back, only to be turned and pressed against the side of the car and kissed. It only takes a moment to get over the surprise, and Soonyoung wraps his arms around Seokmin’s neck, kissing back, grinning in between.

“Eager, aren’t we?” Soonyoung murmurs. Seokmin answers by continuing to kiss him over and over.

“You should go, take her home,” Seokmin mumbles against his neck as he nudges Soonyoung’s cheek with his nose. 

Soonyoung hums his approval, but they don’t break apart, lips meeting again in mutual disagreement to Seokmin’s words.

After several more kisses, Seokmin actually does pull back. “Go on, you have to take your girl home,” he murmurs.

Soonyoung chases his lips, seeking more. “Are you going to come over?” he breathes.

Seokmin smiles. “Do you want me to?”

“Is that even a question?” Soonyoung raises an eyebrow. Seokmin laughs, bright and loud. 

“Yes, it is,”

“Then, yes, I do,” Soonyoung says, though he’s rolling his eyes. He tries to make his expression serious - he means for genuine. “I want you to come home with us, Seokmin,”

Seokmin smiles, their foreheads bumping and noses brushing. “I would be honoured,” he says, punctuating it with a peck to Soonyoung’s nose.

Soonyoung takes a deep breath, “And y’know,” he licks his lips, nervous, “if you stay forever, she’d be our girl, not just mine,”

Soonyoung wonders if he’s imagining the teary look in Seokmin’s eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,”

Seokmin smiles. “I’d like that,” he says, “I’d like that a lot,”

Soonyoung smiles. “Me too,”


End file.
